With excitement growing around Disney’s live-action “Moana,” attention is turning to the young Samoan Australian performer stepping into one of the studio’s most beloved roles.
After a worldwide search that drew more than 32,000 hopefuls, the casting team found the actor they believed could embody Moana, the wayfinding daughter of a village chief.
I met with Catherine Laga’aia in Hawaii, where the 19-year-old reflected on preparing for her feature film debut.
“I feel like I’ve been kind of hit with a wave of things,” she says. “It feels like I’m finally sharing a story that I’ve been keeping secret for so long. It’s like you’re finally allowed to let people in.”
For Laga’aia, joining the Disney legacy is both moving and overwhelming.
“I think it’s nerve-wracking,” she says. “But it’s really fun to get to join this family. I feel like everyone is so open and excited for me to be there.”
Laga’aia was just 9 years old when the original animated “Moana” arrived in theaters.
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“To me, Moana was an icon,” she says. “She was an idol. It was the first time that I got to see what I looked like on screen. I saw my hair, my face, my nose. It was kind of the first time that people on the street would stop me and say: ‘You look like Moana! You look like this Disney princess.’ That was such a cool feeling when you’re so little.”
Now, she is that Disney princess.
“I am that Disney princess,” she laughs. “It’s kind of full circle.”
Laga’aia is one of eight siblings from a very musical family.
“I kind of found singing through this movie,” she says. “I grew up in a family of singers, but my siblings were a lot better than me. I wanted my own thing. I wanted something that I can do, and that’s kind of how I found my love for theater and acting. I was like: ‘This is my thing! I’m going to kind of put my mark on this, and I want to be the best at it.'”
Disney’s live-action “Moana” is in theaters nationwide on July 10.
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